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Tyrone Daniel's Blog Spot

Church Planting, Part 4

When we are church planting, there are some things we should always keep in mind. God calls & chooses and everything we do should always…

Begin with God

Be bigger than us

Be about eternity

Bless and include others

Be in His timing

Bring Him glory

While God calls and chooses there are some things that we can recognize to confirm the call. This is in no way to restrict anyone nor is it an exhaustive list but I believe these are some signs of who should plant.

“WHO” plants??

1) SUCCESSFUL

As we look for church planters, we should be looking at those who have had a measure of success already. While we don’t measure success through the eyes of the world, we do need fruitful people to go and bear fruit when they plant!

Think of it this way: If we aren’t able to do it in the safe country, we won’t do it out on our own!

2) SUBMITTED

Exercise authority righteously!
Proverbs 29:2…when the righteous thrive the people rejoice, when the wicked rule the people groan

We often release guys because they don’t know how to follow. However, bad followers make bad leaders!! We need to have church leaders who have a track record of following well. If they have followed well then they will release leaders who also follow well. It is God’s principle of seedtime and harvest: we reap what we sow.

3) STRONG in the Lord

God is looking for planters who are strong in the Lord and not in themselves! They have to be able to keep encouraged and full of faith! Digging our own wells and ministering out of the overflow of those wells does that!

4) SUCCESS Orientated

What this should look like is that our outlook and language is positive! We have to believe that God wants all of us to succeed! If we aren’t convinced we will never convince others!

5) SINCERE

Personal integrity is essential for a planter!

We need to know how to conduct ourselves in Gods household. If we lack integrity we hinder our ability to hear the voice of God effectively and clearly. Hearing God is crucial to church planters/leaders. If we are going to lead His people into all He has, we need to be sensitive to His voice.

1 Timothy 3:15 – if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

6) SUSTAINED

Consistency is key for all planters! In order to lead people with big capacity we have to be well balanced!
We cannot be extreme or excessive if we are going to lead a diverse people into a great future!
When God emphasizes certain things in a season/church/region, it is not at the expense of all other truth! This is why we do not plant out of reaction but rather revelation and then God can bless it!

7) SERVE in/on team

As a church planter we have to know how to work in team! Having and fostering healthy relationships is key for all planters! We must have sensitivity to others and to what they feel. This becomes very helpful for planting! As we lead God’s people we have to be strong and decisive but not rude!! This is why being on a team is extremely important.

8) SURRENDERED

If we are truly surrendered we will remain teachable and flexible! This is the biggest lesson I’m learning in our plant! If we cannot stay flexible, we will never be fruitful in church planting! We cannot think that we know everything. The only way to learn from people is to be teachable! Believe me, when you plant you are going to learn a lot!

9) SECURE

We must be settled in who we are and what we are called to do! Once this is settled we can open our hands to release people who have bigger capacity and greater anointing than us! Insecure leaders develop leaders that are never free to be themselves and eventually become bitter and unhelpful.

10) SELF-disciplined

Self-discipline must be in place! Being disciplined in prayer and the study of the Word have to be settled. Remember, the things we expect of the people we are leading we need to also be doing!

As I said earlier, this is not an exhaustive list but something we can use as we set out to plant healthy, sustainable New Testament churches. God is never looking for perfection but a heart after His own.